Persona: Dark Side of the Soul
by BrightRedNova
Summary: When a quiet town in upstate New York becomes witness to some truly bizarre events, it's up to a small group of the town's teenagers to set things straight, before it- and the rest of world- succumb to the chaos. "T" for langugage and minor adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

_Persona: Dark Side of the Soul___

Chapter 0: The Beginning

"Don't try to be somebody you're not because it doesn't work."  
>-Ben Quayle<p>

It was a cold, quiet December evening in the small town of Swedville in upstate New York. The virgin snow piled high as some of the cars still parked in the drive-ways. This wasn't really a concern, as nearly half the townspeople walked or found another form of commute instead of digging out their automobiles. However, one car was now being dug out, the owner of which was looking for his son.

Mr. Hank Valkryin was looking for his 11-year old son Harry, who was probably out playing in the snow with his friends. However, at the given time of the night, it was unlawful for children under 17 to be out this late, so the red-bearded, gruff looking man put on his snow-shoes, and set out to find his only child.

For about an hour or two, he walked around the frozen fields, calling out to his only child. At first, he was rather calm, if a bit annoyed, but as minutes turned into hours, that calm attitude turned into panic. He eventually began running around the area, even with the freezing wind and still falling snow, to find his son.

Unbeknownst to him, his son Harry, and his friends, were out on the frozen Lake Sticks. This small gang included Leon, a young man who was known to be rather adventurous, Ophelia, who always seemed to want to follow Harry around, Oliver, who was known to actually study and read more than actually go outside, and Amanda, who was probably the most energetic and friendly of the group. Harry himself had coaxed them into exploring the area to find the rare "frozen Lake Monster," a beast said to only appear during the harsh winter months, for some odd reason.

This little excursion from a bunch of eleven year olds, however, turned out to be a horrible, horrible idea. Leon had already fallen through the ice once, and was shivering just to stay warm. Ophelia had actually lost a shoe somewhere in the snow, and has frostbite along her ankle and foot, and Harry was… still perfectly OK with all of this. "C'mon guys, it's nothing a little hot chocolate won't fix, am I right?" He said, trying to coax his friends into moving along with their little adventure.

Sadly, his attempts to do so were met with… less than desired results. Leon was the first to object; "Harry, be real man. I'm freezing my f'in brains out, Ophelia is missing a shoe, we're all sick and tired of trying to find this monster- Will you just let us go home already goddamn you!" He shouted, and Harry put his hand to his chin for a moment, and spoke up, "Nope! No can do, not until we find this monster."

Just when Amanda was about to tell him off herself, something rustled in the bushes adjacent to the edge of the lake, causing everyone to direct their gaze there. Suddenly, it began to rustle again, this time something actually took a step out from there. "C-c'mon out you monster! I'm not afraid of you!" Harry said, raising his fists to the "beast." Before he could give the appropriate command for his comrades to charge, however, it turned out to be Leon's elder sister, Ramona. "There you guys are!" She said, bundled up in a scarf and overcoat, her dyed-purple hair keeping the snow out of her eyes. "Do you know how long we've all been looking for you? Harry, your dad is worried sick! And Leon, you know you're not supposed to be out this late!" She said in a scolding tone.

"Ramona, just… just stop. You're trying to control me now that dad's working another job, and let's face it; it just isn't working." He said snidely, almost like he was issuing his elder sister a challenge. "Look, whatever. You're the one's who're gonna get beat later on for makin' everyone worried sick like this, ya hear me? Now c'mon-"She said, and another rustle was heard, coming from the bushes where she'd emerged from. Ophelia piped up, "U-um, Ramona… Were you followed?" She squeaked as she hid behind Harry, and Ramona shook her head no. Her first instinct was to get in front of the children, but that didn't matter- Something big was getting ready to attack. Before she could even say "run," something big and black leapt out from those bushes with the urge to kill. Whatever it was, the creature had a blue mask, two black arms seemed to almost be like a pile of sludge moving along the ground. However, it soon grew two more arms, two to stand up on, and two to draw out swords.

Before anyone could do anything, and it looked like the beast was getting ready to charge at Harry, they heard a cry break the silence of the night- "Morpheus!" The voice said, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. However, something DID appear- a young man garbed in a beautiful white and black gown, which seemed to depict the night sky, and a shield. "Ziodyne!" The voice cried out again, and lightning struck the beast that was attempting to do harm unto the children. However, as the beast was ready to charge again, the voice issued another order to the dream god- "Torrent Shot!" He said, and the being summoned the stars from his outfit, and flung them at the monster at rapid speed, ultimately defeating it. It evaporated into a black mist, and the mask behind seemed to melt as if it itself were made out of snow.

Just as mysteriously as the figure had appeared, it left again, and the voice that seemed to command the being was nowhere to be seen or heard from. Hell, even as Ramona looked around, she couldn't find any tracks in the snow besides her own, and the little group's. "W-whatever the HELL that thing was, you're lucky that… guy showed up!"

"…Morpheus, 'mona." Leon said. "He's the Greek god of dreams-"He said rather calmly, before he was interrupted. "I KNOW THAT YOU LITTLE BRAT! I STUDIED MYTHOLOGY TOO!" She said, and grabbed him rather forcefully by the arm. "Honestly, you kids are gonna be the death of us yet! Why can't you be like Oliver, or Ophelia! No, it's always you, Harry, and Amanda always stirring shit up. When I was your age…" She began to ramble on, as the group followed behind her and Leon. Eventually, they made it back into town unscathed by anymore mysterious monster attacked. The children were picked up and received rather warmly by their parents. Various "I was so worried about you!" and "You had us worried sick" were thrown around left and right in an attempt to get the five young people to realize how much trouble they'd stirred up. Ophelia and Oliver seemed remorseful, but Leon, Amanda, and Harry all seemed rather pleased with themselves, having found the monster.

"You should have seen it, mom!" Harry said to his mother, who was holding him tight. "Some guy named Mor-" He was about to say, before Leon punched him in the shoulder. He dragged his friend aside, along with the others as the adults talked among themselves. "We can NEVER talk about any of this. Ever. They will think we are INSANE if we tell them about Morpheus and that beast. Do I make myself clear?" Leon said very demandingly.

They decided soon after they'd swear to secrecy about it that night, never to speak of the monster again… However, the next day in school…

During a recess break, while all the other children were running around in the snow, Harry and Oliver went up to ask their teacher, Ms. Etaceh something. "Mr. Etaceh, who's Morpheus?" Harry asked, Oliver being too shy to ask their teacher a simple question. "…Oh! You mean the Greek god of Dreams! Oooh, you boys are into Greek mythology! Hold on, I'll get you my book." She said, went inside for two minutes, and came back with a book geared towards 5th and 6th graders on the subject. "Bring it back to me at the end of the school day, OK?" She said, and shooed them off to make a phone-call. They brought the book under the monkey bars where Leon, Amanda and Ophelia awaited their return. "He's a greek god or something… Hey, maybe we can grow up to be like that!"

He said, but Amanda cut him off, "Don't be stupid Harry. There's no such things as these guys being real… We can pretend to be like them… Liiiiiike…" She said, and read through the book. "You'd be Jason, and Ophelia could be Medea~" She said playfully, and Ophelia blushed.

"A-amanda, I'll tell Ms. Etaceh-" Ophelia piped up before she was cut off by Amanda as well. "Oh relax. It's just a joke Ophy… Besides, I wanna be Echo. She looks pretty." Harry replied with a snicker, "Yeah, but she died following that dude Narcissus around. Sucks to be you!" He said before he began to laugh. "Plus, if you're Echo, I wanna know what Leon would be!" He said as he turned to the tallest member of their group. "Tch, that's easy. I'd be some big scary badass dude that no one messes with." He said as he cracked his knuckles. "…Hmm, Leon, you'd be Phobetor, the personification/god of Nightmares. Cool enough for you?" She said, and Leon agreed with a loud "Hell yeah!"

Finally, it was Oliver's turn. "…You know what Olly, you tell us a lot of stuff, even if it gets us in trouble… You'd be… Prometheus!" Amanda said with a giggle. "Hopefully you don't get chained up to any big rock, right?" She said, but was met with a glare by Oliver. "You would give me something stupid like that. Whatever, I don't care." He said, crossing his arms and pouting a bit. "You gave everyone else something cool, you witch." He muttered, and the group burst out into an argument, save for Ophelia. "U-um… excuse me…" She tried to interject, but everyone else was just shouting too loud. And Leon was about to punch Harry in the face, Oliver and Amanda were having their own shouting match… "GUYS!" She shouted, and everyone stopped. "Thank you. Can we just get back to playing kickball?" She said calmly, and the rest of the group nodded. They delivered the book back to their teacher, and decided it was about time they got back to playing kickball, like normal 5th and 6th graders.

Fast forward 7 years…

The year is now 2014. As far as the sleepy little town of Svedton (renamed by town vote) is concerned, all is right with the world. It's a beautiful New Years Day, which happens to fall on a Wednesday, when the true purpose of those events seven years ago finally have come to light once more.

Harry Valkryn now stood in at 5'9, and has the same shaggy red hair as his father. Unfortunately, due to his Irish ancestry, he also has freckles on his face; it had earned him the nicknamed "McValkryn," poking fun at his roots. He awoke to find his phone filled with inbox messages of "Happy New Year!" Nowadays, he was Mr. Sociable, and had expanded his social circle far, while still keeping the same four people he loved to talk to very close.

Ophelia Malruso was waiting for text replies back from everyone. She was two inches shorter than Harry, and had long, black hair which covered a gorgeous face. While she wasn't as well endowed as many of the girls in her class, she considered it a gift, mostly because she liked to avoid the spotlight as much as possible, and anything above a C-cup would definitely put her there. She decided to get ready for the day and left her phone on the bed, just as her phone buzzed and a text from Harry appeared, saying "Happy New Year beautiful."

Amanda Hexin, meanwhile, awoke in the worst way possible- next to another man. A gentleman she hardly knew, and what made things worse was WHERE she woke up- under the covers in the back of his pick-up truck. Thankfully it was an electric blanket but still, she wasn't even in her underwear. She pushed her dark red hair out of her face and stood up out of the truck, stretching out and quickly putting her outfit from the previous night- a miniskirt, stockings, a jacket with a tank top, and heels- back on before anyone noticed, and quickly ran home… but not before sending a "Happy New Year" text to Oliver.

Oliver, however, had the least eventful night out of all of them. He had spent the night playing Mortal Kombat and studying for an upcoming honors test that had been scheduled the day his class returned from winter break. He received Amanda's text, and replied to it. After doing so, he went to go hop in the shower, mostly to wash off his pale skin and dirty blonde hair, but not before sending a text message to the now infamous Leon Crowley.

Mr. Crowley had awoken to a harem of women about the same age as himself, all clinging to him as he slept. He pushes his dyed silver hair out of his face and managed to get out of the bed he was in without awakening them. Thankfully, it was just a hotel room, and not his house. He stood up and got dressed quickly, nearly hitting his head on the ceiling as he did so. He went down to the main office, paid off the expenses (and breakfast for the ladies), and took off in a Mustang convertible, the only thing left to him by his father only 6 years ago. While at a red-light, he read Oliver's text and threw his phone in the backseat, and decided that he was going to help his friends make this year the best year ever.


	2. Chapter 2

Persona:Dark side of the soul

Chapter 1: Awaken

"A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life."  
>James Allen, Law of Attraction Quotes<p>

While the clock still had some space left before it was actually noon, Leon was still driving around making phone-calls to his band-mates, those four other guys who'd he become inseparable with to form the heavy-metal band known as Tartarus. Eventually, once he had gotten his band-mates to compromise on a practice time, he had finally reached the residence of Mr. Harry Valkryin. His opened palm slammed around the horn of the car, which nearly caused Harry to jump while inside the house. Leon stuck his head out of the car's window and shouted, "C'mon you lazy Irish drunk! We got shit to do today! And by 'shit' I mean we're gonna party like it's 1999!"

Harry flipped him the bird and made his way downstairs, grabbing a pop-tart out of the toaster and jumping into the car. Harry had picked a red and black plad long sleeved shirt, jeans, and sneakers… while Leon was wearing his signature black bandana, black leather vest, red jeans, and black sneakers. Since it was the dead of winter, he had a black long sleeve shirt underneath of his ensemble for warmth. He also popped a cigarette into his mouth, and Harry lit it for him with a lighter. "You know Leon, I'm seriously surprised that you can still lift weights like you do and your breathing isn't affected… what's your secret?"

"Stamina workouts in the AM. You should try it Harry." Leon quipped as they made it through a four-way intersection right before the light turned red. Leon wasn't necessarily a reckless driver, he just abhorred sitting at red-lights. He had this horrible thing he would do that when the side-ways traffic's signal was red, he would take off before the light for his traffic lane to go green. Somehow, he managed to avoid accidents despite driving like this. "Dude, I keep telling you, you're gonna get someone killed one day with this crap!" He said, punching Leon in the arm. "Chill out. No one has died yet in the Crowley-mobile." Leon replied as he petted the dashboard like it was a pet. "This kitten still has all its nine lives, trust me… Except for that one time Clyde kicked in the door because I said that song he wrote sucked… that bumped it down to eight…" He muttered, eyes fixated on the road as they reached the humble abode of Ms. Ophelia. She climbed into the backseat, blushing as Leon checked her out. Harry punched him in the arm again, and Leon snickered. Her outfit didn't leave much to the imagination- a purple turtleneck sweater, those same black glasses, the skirt and tights with sneakers- she was a nerd, but still managed to get the gaze of a certain Irishman… and Leon when he was hammered enough.

"U-um, Leon, it smells like cigarettes in here. C-could you please put the top down?" Ophelia asked nicely, not wanting to get sick from the odor. The bassist for Tartarus complied, and a cool rush of air greeted the teens as they drove around Svedton to pick up Amanda. Thankfully, not much was going on as they passed through the shopping district, which was usually lively on holidays like today. "Jesus Christ, you'd think with the way this place was quiet someone just got shot." Leon said with a chuckle, until Ophelia glared at him a bit. "Leon, t-that's not funny. Someone was shot in Mr. Henderson's back yard the other night." She said sternly, almost trying to get Leon to feel bad. "Y-you should feel horrible for that!"

Leon simply laughed at her as well. "Ophelia. We've been friends for how long now! You should know I don't give a shit about crap like that unless it affects me personally!" He said, and stopped the car for Ms. Hexin to hop in. "Where were you last night doll-face?" Leon said, using one of his pet names for her. She'd been wearing the same outfit from the previous evening, not even bothering to stop home and change. She grunted something along the lines of "Go to hell" before he could get another word in edgewise. "Ooh, feisty one today, aren't you Mandy?" Harry said with a laugh, and Leon rolled his eyes. "Christ's sake, you've been callin' her that for how long… get some new crap." He muttered as they waited for Oliver, who lived right across the street. He honked, and Oliver came out of his house looking disoriented.

"Get in the backseat with the girls, Har'." Leon commanded, and Harry groaned. For some reason, Leon enjoyed Harry's company a ton, but Oliver and Leon became best friends sometime in high-school, probably sometime after Leon's dad left him, Ramona and his mother, and he needed a friend. Harry was always hanging out with different people, Amanda was starting to date, Ophelia was too quiet, and his sister had his own trouble. It was one day, when Leon felt like he hadn't a friend in the world; Oliver knocked on his door and invited him to play at his house. It was the friendship that could never had been broken, and it lasted even to this day. It especially showed that opposites attract- Leon's metal/punk rocker attire was greatly different to Oliver's long-sleeved black shirt, sweatpants, and glasses. Also, Oliver had no ink on his skin, where Leon had various tattoos of Greek monsters… Truly, they were an odd couple.

Oliver climbed in the front seat, and gave Leon their usual fist-bump, and Leon took off. "So gang, we have today left before we have to go back to the man tellin' us what we can and can't do at borin' Sved high. What's it gonna be?" He asked with a smile from ear to ear. Harry and the rest of the gang pondered on this for a bit, before Ophelia thought of something. "U-umm… Veronica is having a party… w-well, there wouldn't be any booze for Leon but we could still have fun hanging out. H-hold on, I'll call her." She said, and after phone conversation that took nearly twenty minutes, Ophelia got off the phone with an excited, "W-we can-" Sadly, she was interrupted by the fact that Leon had already pulled into Veronica's driveway. "I guess I'm just psychic like that 'cause I got the O-man with me!" He said, fist bumping Oliver after putting the hood up and getting out of the car with everyone.

Leon entered the house without a knock, and there was Ms. Veronica Mosley- a girl who nearly stood 6'1, and looked like she could verily easily K.O. one of the football players at their school with minimum effort because of her size. She wore a long sleeved purple and blue tie-dye t-shirt, black sweatpants, and slippers, at least around the house. Also, she was a ton curvier than Amanda, who seemed to not like this… However, Amanda put on a façade, went over and hugged her with Ophelia. "Veronica! Oh it's so good to see you!" She said half-heartedly, but Veronica could only push her long brown hair out of her face and blink. She hadn't expected Ms. Amanda Hexin, captain of the cheerleading squad, to attend her little get together. Nor did she expect Harry McValkryin, Mr. Crowley, and Oliver the All-Knowing. "…It's so good to see all of you too!" She said, happy as a clam that more people- popular ones at that- DID show up to her party. She stood up and, like a gracious host, fetched them something to drink.

Some other girls from the soccer team were also gathered, and were looking at Harry. Some pointed and giggled, while some continued to talk about other things amongst themselves. Veronica came back with some soda, and much to Leon's surprise, a small glass of clear liquid. "Why thank you very much Veronica!" He said, and downed it to find it was… water. Not vodka liked he was hoping for, but… strawberry flavored water. "Sorry Leon, I would give you a liiiiiittle alcohol but Ophelia told me you were driving, so…" She said, looking down at her feet apologetically. "…It's fine. You just made the day suck 10% mo-" He said, but something- rather, Amanda- stomped on his foot. "He didn't mean that, you know Leon is just Mr. Grumpy-Pants!" She said in reply to his comment, trying to make Veronica feel better.

Harry, meanwhile, was seated comfortably on the couch, and Oliver had taken to the stairs, where he was playing something on his Nintendo DS. Ophelia was chatting with some of the soccer girls, when something unexpected happened- Veronica sat next to Oliver on the stairs, and tried to catch a peak at the game he was playing before he shut the DS. "…What are you doing?" He asked without hesitation. Veronica blushes, and scooted away. "I-I just wanted to see what you were playing! W-what's wrong with that, huh!" She asked getting overly defensive as Oliver walked down the steps and sat next to Leon in the dining room, muttering around how stupid girls are. Leon laughed, and put his arm around him. "Buddy, don't worry, you'll open up one day with the ladies, or my name isn't Leon 'Sirus' Crowley!" He said with a warm and cheery smile.

"…Leon, just stop. We both know that day will never come. And if it does, I will truly be damned." He said, and Leon couldn't help but snicker at his friends' plight. "You know I would introduce you to one of my honeys, but... you're not quite ready for those dames yet, let me tell you." He said, and Amanda interrupted. "Leon. What have I told you about calling women 'dames'?" She said in a harsh tone. "Would you like it if us girls called guys 'dicks' or something all the time? I don't think you'd be very happy with it, now would you?" She said, and Leon and Amanda were about to get into a shouting match before Harry interjected. "Guys guys guys! You can't expect to just walk into the house of Veronica Mosley and just start arguing! Show some respect!" He commanded, and everyone calmed down almost instantly.

"…You know what guys, everyone come on outside. I think I know exactly the right thing we need." Harry said, then put on his shoes and trudged outside. He picked up some of the snow as Amanda came out, and before she could react, she'd been hit in the shoulder with a snowball. "Ah-ha! Spot on," Harry commented, proud of his own handiwork. Before he could even react, the dark-red haired vixen had scooped up a pile of snow herself. She quickly formed it into a ball, and let it loose towards his face. When it had impacted, he looked like the abominable snowman. While they had both taken cover, they noticed Leon had walked out of the house, and the two had hidden well. "OK Harry, really funny, you can jump out and surprise me no-" He said, but couldn't finish due to two snowballs getting direct hits on his abdomen. "…Oooh, you guys are gonna PAY for this." He said, and picked up a shovel.

Harry shouted to Amanda, "Incoming! Enemy is using heavy artillery! Fall back!" He said, and they hid behind the shed in Veronica's back yard. Leon launched of volley of snow over it, and they were nearly hit. "Ha! Looks like someone needs to work on their aim!" Harry said, and suddenly he was hit with another volley, causing him to swear under his breath a little bit. "Son of a bitch, I swear I'm gonna give Leon what's his one day…" He muttered, and poked around the side to see Ophelia, Veronica, Oliver, and the girls from the soccer team all holding snowballs. "…Amanda, it's been an honor serving with you." He said, and prepared himself for the worst. In an almost parody of any war movie to date, he ran out with a huge snowball, and flung it at Leon's chest. After it broke off, smaller bits of it impacted into those he'd gathered to form the assault. However, in doing so, he was pelted viciously with snowballs. When the barrage was over, Leon helped him to his feet.

"This is why you NEVER cross Field Commander Crowley! Am I understood, P.O.W.!" He said gruffly, and Harry sighed. "I still have one last trick up my sleeve." He said, and threw one last snowball towards the roof. Before anyone could react, a huge pile of snow came falling down, and they had to disperse. Amanda came out of hiding and began to pelt the others with snowballs.

After their big snowball war was over, the gang decided to head back in before it got dark. They humorously recounted what had just happened over cups of hot chocolate, even though Leon spiked his with a tiny bit of spiced rum, courtesy of his favorite ship captain, Morgan. "Ah, Harry, we almost had you, you clever little bastard! Using the snow on the roof against us! I thought we made a rule out of that!" He said with a hearty laugh, and all the girls on the soccer team laughed as well. Harry retorted, "I believe a big drunk once said to Mr. Diskorti, 'Screw the rules, I'm Leon S. Crowley, so you can suck it!' And then you got a Saturday detention." Harry said, trying to contain his laughter while Leon was reduced to a scowl.

"That was a dark Saturday man, not cool." Leon said coldly, and Amanda noticed something. "Oh shit, I think I lost my other shoe out there…" She said, and looked to Harry. "Well normally I'd make someone else do it, but you pulled a dick move so I'm afraid it's kinda on you to recover it. The backyard's not THAT big, so good luck!" She said, and Harry grunted as he got up to look for it.

After trudging around in the backyard for about ten minutes, he finally stumbled across Amanda's shoe. It was wet from how long it'd been left in the snow, and he couldn't help but read the size. "…Wow, Bigfoot, maybe you should get someone else to do this next time." He grumbled, when he heard something rustle in the bushes at the edge of the Mosley's garden. "…Sparky? Here boy!" He said, thinking the rustling was the family dog that Veronica had supposedly put in the cage in the basement. However, this was something more energetic and wild than the Mosley family dog- no, this was a wild animal. Harry backed up slowly for the door, trying not to make any sudden movements, but his attempts were met with failure.

It wasn't even a wild animal that launched himself at him, but some kind of inky black mass with a blue mask with the Roman Numeral "I" carved into its forehead. It quickly grew four sets of arms, just like the beast that had attacked the group all those years ago out on the frozen lake. "A-AMANDA! OPHY! LEON! SOMEBODY, HEEEEEEEEEEELP!" He shouted as the monster brought one of the swords high in the air, and right before the blade met his neck, the monster reeled back from an ice ball that Ophelia had thrown. When the monster redirected its attention to her, time just… stopped. The beast was still as a picture, and Ophelia's gasp of fear was frozen still. Only Harry could seem to move, and he felt something form in his hand. He looked at it, and it was… a tarot card. He didn't know why, but something, something DEEP inside of him just screamed "Release me…"

He didn't know what else to do. Ophelia was in grave danger, and this seemed like the only solution… no matter what it did. However, instinctively, Harry muttered something before he broke the card, "…Per….so…na!" He said, and clenched it in his fist, which caused a blue mist to form around him. Overhead of him was a Greek warrior with bright red hair, a shield, and a long one handed sword. He was also wearing Greek traditional armor, expect there was one thing- The shield was orange and green striped, Harry's two favorite colors. Then, this… Greek warrior spoke. "I am thou… and thou art I… From the sea of thy soul, I cometh… I am Jason, Leader of the Argonauts!" It said, and it quickly vanquished the monster with its blade.

As soon as the one had been defeated, and "Jason" disappeared, Harry ran over to make sure Ophelia was OK. The second he got over to her, however, more of them- at least four- climbed over the fence. Ophelia then stepped forward. Apparently, in that instant a similar card appeared in her hand. However, upon flipping it over and examining it, it revealed a young woman wielding a knife, garbed in a bright red robe with pale skin, long brown hair… and black glasses. "Release me…" A voice beckoned in her head. "Ummm, Harry, I think I just developed schizophrenia…" She said, and Harry saw the card. "Break it, woman! Don't just sit there like a bump on a log!" He shouted, and she squeezed the card tight.

The woman on the image appeared above her, and her voice called out, "I am thou… Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul, I cometh… I am Medea, Sorceress of Colchis!" She said, and cast Agi on one of the monsters. It seemed to be paralyzed by the fire spell, which prompted Harry to summon Jason again to finish it off. They repeated this until the monsters seemed to subside for now. "…Harry. What the hell just happened." Ophelia said, shivering a bit. Harry escorted her inside, a look of fear on his face.

Leon quickly commented, "Dude, you looked like you've just seen a-" He was about to say, before Harry interrupted. "We were just attacked by the Lake Monster." He said, and Leon, Oliver, and Amanda all gave him stares of pure "What the HELL did you just say?"

Of course, Amanda was the most taken back by this. "J-Jason! Don't be silly, that was all just a figment of our childhood imaginations! Veronica I think maybe Leon spiked his hot chocolate…" She said, trying to keep on a fake smile. Ophelia chimed in, "I'm sorry Amanda… but I saw them too. B-but that's not all that happened." She said, and a tarot card materialized in her hand. Oliver looked at her as if she had horns growing out of her head, and Leon clapped. "Ooh! Another magic trick, another I say!" He said, clapping his hands joking. When he saw the serious look on everyone's face, he knew this whole thing was far from a joke. "….Um, I don't suppose that other thing we saw that night was out there… Even though we KINDA PROMISED WE'D NEVER BRING THAT SHIT UP AGAIN!"

Veronica looked at him quizzically. "But… Ophelia told me all about it…" She said, and Leon instantly gave Ophelia a death glare. "If you weren't capable of magical card tricks I would SO smack you up with my bass damnit!" He said, ready to get in her face about it before Harry jumped in his way. "Now is NOT the time for you to get angry, Leon. We all need to get home. So sober up based on how much vodka you put in your hot chocolate and let's go." He said, shoving the keys into his stomach. Leon could only mumble under his breath, "Motherfucker thinks he can order ME around because he can do magic tricks! Oooh, I'm so scared I-" He said, and Amanda glared at him as well. "Alright, alright!" He said, and they all hopped in the car to drive. They bid Veronica farewell for the night, and drove off.

-  
><em>Hello ladies and gents, and welcome to the Persona Information Corner! This MAGICAL and finely crafted section will appear whenever a new Personaboss character appears! For now, we only have two entries._

_Name: Jason  
>Arcana: Magician<br>Skills: ?, ?, Bash, ?  
>Resists: Strike<br>Weak Against: Fire/Agi  
>Reflects: NA  
>Absorbs: NA  
>Bio: Jason was the Leader of the Argonauts, a group he assembled so that he could collect the Golden Fleece. Noteable members of this crew that were past Personas were Castor and Pollux (known better to those who played Persona 3 as Polyduceus), and Orpheus.<em>

_Name: Medea  
>Arcana: Priestess<br>Skills: ?, Agi, ?, ?  
>Resists: FireAgi  
>Weak Against: Strike<br>Reflects: N/A  
>Absorbs: Na  
>Bio: Although Medea was once the Persona of Chidori Yoshino, the Sorceress of Colchis is now the Persona of Ophelia Malruso. The Sorceress of Colchis was married to Jason, but only for a short time before he returned to his own country. After this, she sent Glauce, the woman Jason left her and her children for, a poison dress which burned her flesh. She then killed her own children and fled on a chariot sent by Helios.<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Persona: dark side of the soul_

Chapter 2: Revelations

"Experience is a revelation in the light of which we renounce our errors of youth for those of age." – Ambrose Bierce

"So what you're telling me is that… MULTIPLE frozen lake monsters attacked you." Leon said as he nearly missed getting caught by another red light again.

After Harry stopped holding his breath, he spoke up. "Yes. MULTIPLE frozen lake monsters, Ophelia saw them too. A-and these cards appeared in our hands, we crushed them… and… this guy named Jason popped out-" He said, and Leon immediately pulled over.

"Harry. Show me the card." Leon commanded, and Harry did. It depicted Jason as Harry- rather, as Harry's subconscious- portrayed him. "Now Ophelia." He said, and Ophelia piped up, "H-here's Medea…" She said, and showed him the card.

Leon put his hands to his face. "Greek mythological beings… Some kind of monsters… What the FUCK is happening in this town!" Leon said, trying to make sense of it all.

He quickly realized something, after questioning what the hell was going on. "…I've done it! I've gone off the deep end!" Leon said, and looked like he was going to drive out into traffic. "If I'm right, I'll live through thi- GACK!" He shouted, but before he was about to do something stupid, Harry pulled him back down into his seat.

Harry quickly scolded their driver, "Leon, you goddamned idiot! Sit down before we get arrested for you bein' a moron!" Of course, once Leon snapped back to his senses, he began to drive Oliver and Amanda home. "Ugh, this is great, this is just swell," Amanda said, putting at hand to her face.

As they traveled along, the five teenagers became eerily quiet, to the point where it was actually bugging Oliver not to here anymore talking. "U-um, guys, maybe Harry and Ophelia just had something in their drinks… Leon, did you-" He said, and was met with Leon's glare. "Only my own, damnit! I told you this!" Leon replied without hesitation. He was still driving fairly competently, however he showed signs of being a little tipsy, especially when he almost ran over a cat, something that made everyone else in the car cringe in fear over.

Despite his less than perfect driving, he managed to get Amanda and Oliver to their street in one piece. Oliver got out and just went into his house without any complaints, but Amanda crossed her arms, and began to complain, "I'm not walking in the snow without both my shoes. And Harry never found the other one. And I don't want frostbite after I JUST had a pedicure the other day." She said, and Leon growled.

He swore under his breath as he got out of the car. The gargantuan metal-head opened her door, and got her in a fireman's carry. "Oh my, Leon, you're such a gentleman~" She said, which only made the number of swears going through his head increase ten-fold. She giggled as he trudged through the snow, and happened to look at the "package" he was carrying. His face grew bright red, and Amanda giggled. "What's the matter, Leon? Like what you see~?" She said teasingly, and kissed him on the cheek. "That's for the ride, strong man. See you tomorrow in school." She said, and walked inside her house, swaying her hips for Leon. He sighed, and hopped back in the car.

As he entered the vehicle, Harry showed him a picture of Leon carrying Amanda on his phone, and Leon growled, "Delete that or I'll delete you." He muttered, and Harry pretended to do so while Leon re-focused on the road.

The semi-intoxicated driver took a few back and side-streets to take Ophelia home, and pulled over in front of Harry's house. "Listen, man. I didn't wanna say anything in front of Ophelia, but something just AIN'T right about all this. I think maybe you two were having a shared dream or something. Maybe you two conked each other in the head with an ice ball, something! Anything than what happened all those years ago man!" He said, having a brief flashback to when his father walked out of his life almost a year to that day.

Harry sighed, sensing that this event would dig into some old wounds. "Listen, Leon. Ophelia and I didn't share a dream or some crap like you wanna believe. I know this might be painful for you, but something is going on. We need you, man, and you'll get through this. I'll help, Amanda, Olly, Ophy, Veronica… Everyone who knows about these monsters now!" He said reassuringly, trying to smile to put his friend at ease. The big drunkard sighed, and wished his friend a good night. Harry exited the car, and Leon drove home.

Inside his room, Harry summoned Jason's card and examined it. On the bottom there was a small banner that had the Roman numeral for the number 1 and "THE MAGICIAN next to it. Not being able properly determine what the bottom part of the card meant, Harry somehow dispelled it, turned his lights out and went to sleep. However, another light soon went on in his room- his phone. He knew he was going to regret this, but he opened the text- a picture message…

It was of Medea's card. There was a Roman numeral for the number 2, and "THE HIGH PRIESTESS" written on it. The actual text she wrote read out, "What does this mean, Harry?" Of course, the recipient laughed a bit- despite this being the digital age where no-one would ever THINK to write a text with proper grammar, capitalization, etc, Ophelia went the whole nine yards to make sure her texts were always legible.

Harry quickly replied, "Idk, gonna look on google now." With the text sent moments after, he fired up his laptop. He tapped his fingers on the mouse-pad section as he waited for the system to start up, and was greeted with all his usual desktop- a picture of himself and his gang when they barely stood knee-high to their parents- all huddled around their first campfire. Before he got sidetracked by memories of what felt like the distant past to him, he remembered why he was even on the computer right now- looking up the meaning of the words on Jason and Medea's cards.

After googling "The Magician," he was simply greeted by images and references to Chris Angel and other such illusionists. He doubted immensely that these had anything to do with what was going on, so he tried the Priestess. Again, nothing but images and references to priestesses of different religions. He texted Ophelia back with "didn't find n-e-thing" He said, and sent. A reply quick came, "Try including the Roman numeral, see if that does anything."

After taking that into consideration, he quickly found information on tarot cards- what he always felt were a little iffy due to their connections with evil magic, especially when he was raised in an Irish, Catholic home. He wasn't about to let his religion get in the way of things, however. After doing some research, he discovered something very, very odd- Both Jason AND Harry himself fit the description of someone who embodied this "Magician" card, and after researching the Priestess, found that strangely, Medea and Ophelia embodied them too. "This is too weird," He muttered to himself, sent Ophelia the link in a text, and researched some more.

He briefly brushed over the other twenty major arcana in a tarot deck, and some of the personalities jumped out at him- Leon, with his destructive nature and abuse of illicit substances, fit the fifteenth arcana, The Devil; Amanda, with her outgoing and kindhearted nature, was the sixth arcana, The Lovers; Oliver, with his ability to give his friends vast amounts of information on whatever they needed, seem to embody the fifth arcana, or the Hierophant.

Nothing else leapt out at him yet, but Harry had a hunch- something told him his friends were going to be dragged into this whole thing sooner or later, whether they wanted to or not. He summoned his own card again, but did not break it and summon Jason- He simply examined it once more. "…Jason… You are my… Persona… you're me… and I'm you…" Harry said, almost paraphrasing what Jason said when he was first summoned not even an hour or so ago. Harry pondered hard about what all these monsters and… Personas were all about, but decided this was best left for discussion some other time. He faded dreamily into the realm of sleep… But some force beckoned him forth, and his subconscious was summoned into… some kind of room.

Wherever he was, Harry was fully clothed, sitting on what appeared to be a train. But something was off- the color scheme. Everything was a cool, dark shade of blue, with golden trimming on the seats and handles. Across from his sat Ophelia, and there were plenty of empty seats as the car went on. Before Ophelia could open her mouth to ask what the hell was going on, a voice spoke from the front of the car- "Hello, Ms. Malruso and Mr. Valkryn, and welcome… to the Velvet Room."

The voice apparently came from a man who was sitting at what, on a normal train, would be some kind of bar or something. However, he, and a beautiful young woman with long white-ish blonde hair, both sat behind some kind of information counter. "I suppose you two have questions. Please, come to the front. Do not worry that the train is in motion- it simply means your journey has begun." He said, and the two both looked at each other, and went. Upon closer examination, the man's most noticeable feature was his incredibly long nose. He had huge eyes which examined the two young people without having to look up or down. He was at least wearing a suit, and fine white gloves.

Seated next to him was a young woman who wore a female conductor's outfit. She has her hair tied back in a big white bun, had fine, smooth skin, and seemed to be rather calm and mellow, as opposed to the aura that this… long-nosed gentleman gave off.

Before the silence between them could go on any longer, the strange man introduced himself. "Greetings to the both of you! My name is Igor, and this is the Velvet Room. As I previously explained, we are currently going full speed forward on your journey. As you recall, before you came into this realm, you were attacked by creatures from your distant past. As you may have figured out, what attacked you simply wasn't natural. Those creatures are known as Shadows." Igor said, and pressed a button on his chair. A TV came out of the table, which displayed one viciously attacking a young man.

"As you can see, Shadows are nothing that your world is quite used to. However, believe it or not, they are created by humans." He said calmly, keeping his hands in front of his mouth.

Harry quickly interjected, "How in the hell do WE create those things? Are they with the government!" He asked rather boldly, which caused Igor to chuckle.

"Oh no no no, Mr. Valkryn! Shadows are not developed in such a manner. Shadows are made from the human mind, the part that no one wants to see the light of day. They are negative aspects of the human mind."

"…B-but… S-sorry for asking, Mr. Igor, but umm… How?" Ophelia said meekly, and Igor smiled. "A rather vague question, but I believe I know what you want to know. You see, when a human being goes on denying his own Shadow, the buildup of this inner self no one wants the world to see, it attacks. And I don't mean inside the mind- I mean the shadow comes out and does physical harm, as those ones almost did to the two of you. But those were normal Shadows." Igor said, leaning back a bit. "There are Shadows formed from much more powerful human minds, with far more dangerous capabilities."

"Then… Why didn't our Shadows come out and kill us?" Harry asked, expecting the answer to be brutal.

However, it appeared like Igor was WAITING for him to ask. "Very good question! You see, you've already faced your Shadows- in fact, you've never truly FORMED a proper Shadow. Now before you think this is bad, quite the opposite- This is very, VERY good. You see, instead of having a Shadow to deal with, you've gained the power of Persona!" He said rather excitedly. "For you see, a Persona is like a Shadow- it's who you truly are, like it or not- but you two, brave souls that you are, have no qualms about the real you. Thus, instead of leaving this potential to turn into something dark and hideous, you've allowed your subconscious to bestow upon you a marvelous power!" Igor further explained.

Harry raised his hand, and Igor nodded. "Ok, I get WHAT a Persona is now, but… What's this I read about the tarot cards?" He said, and Igor nodded. "First, before I turn to her, I apologize before for not introducing my assistant, Angelina. Quite lovely, is she not? She can explain to you how a Persona is formed."

"Thank you, Mr. Igor. Like my proprietor explained, Personas are formed when a human being- or, in some cases, we've seen robots and canines- accepts themselves for what they are 100%. Now, how a Persona functions is based on the Persona- as you read, Mr. Valkryn, your Persona, Jason, is of the Magician Arcana. Remember how it said the Magician is a master of self confidence- Jason and you are like that, therefore Jason excels in skills that show off power, such as cutting your enemies down to size." She said, leaving Harry a moment to ponder before she turned to Ophelia.

"And Ms. Malruso, Medea and you are of the Priestess Arcana. While the fire skills seem to be from your personality affecting Medea, overall, she excels at healing skills. The Priestess is often a guide to lost souls, and in your case, you'll be doing more than just guiding on this journey." She said, and Igor spoke up again. "Also, your Personas can do far more than just combat these Shadows. They can also grant extraordinary abilities… Think of them almost like a mask for everyday situations. Now, do you have any questions?

Ophelia raised her hand. "…Are we… the only ones?" She piped up, and Igor chuckled a bit. "Oh heavens my, no, not at all. You're going to be joined by… Angelina, could you grab the passenger log?" Igor requested, and Angelina got out a book. The most recent entry was about the time the two went to sleep. Harry, after some close examination, saw "Oncoming guests", which read:

I.) THE MAGICIAN: Harry Valkryin (Jason)

II.) THE HIGH PRIESTESS: Ophelia Malruso (Medea)

III.) THE EMPRESS: ?

IV.) THE EMPEROR: N/A

V.) THE HIEROPHANT: ?

VI.) THE LOVERS: ?

VII.) THE CHARIOT: ?

VIII.) STRENGTH: ?

IX.) THE HERMIT: N/A

X.) WHELL OF FORTUNE: N/A

XI.) JUSTICE: N/A

XII.) THE HANGED MAN: ?

XIII.) DEATH: ?

XIV.) TEMPERANCE: N/A

XV.) THE DEVIL: ?

XVI.) THE TOWER: ?

XVII.) THE STAR: N/A

XVIII.) THE MOON: N/A

XIX.) THE SUN: N/A

XX.) JUDGMENT: N/A

XXI.) THE WORLD: N/A

0.) THE FOOL N/A

After going over the sheet, he began to understand what the N/A and the question marks meant- The question marks were apparently people who were yet to come, and the N/A's were people who weren't showing up at all… At least that's what he thought. He asked another question, "Ms. Angelina, what's with the N/A?"

Angelina sighed deeply, showing a hint of regret. "Sadly, these are Persona users that our master, Philemon, has not been able to properly give his blessing to, so we have no way to guide these poor souls. They possess the potential just as you and Ms. Ophelia do, but… They may not be able to bestow additional power to it like we can."

Igor seemed to get a second wind for explanation. "Ah yes! We do simply provide more than information. In the past, there have been individuals who can change their Personas. Sadly, as great as your power is, you are forced to settle with Jason and Medea. But worry not; their powers will grow in correspondence to your psyche! This will not only be a journey to discover why the Shadows have chosen to attack your town, but also, it will be a journey of self discovery!" The owner of the Velvet Room said energetically, and two small clipboards, with pens, appeared in front of the two, along with… contracts.

"Now, as much fun as this has been for me, I must soon return your minds to your own bodies. But before you go, please, sign these. As you can see, they simply say that you so chooseth this fate of your own free will."

Harry and Ophelia both looked at each other… and signed. They knew they had a duty to protect their quiet little town from these abominations, and that they were the only ones who could stop it. "Splendid! Now then, I will call you back here when more of the other Persona users in your town have awoken. Pleasant dreams." He said, and the Velvet Room faded from sight…

When his vision returned to him, and he was sitting in his room, and noticed something- his alarm had gone off… In fact, his bus was just about pulling up down the street. He didn't care that he was still wearing yesterday's attire; he leapt from his bed, packed his schoolbag, put on his sneakers and ran out the door.

On the bus was an equally unprepared Ophelia, who was making sure her hair looked OK, and was applying make-up as the bus came to a stop. He sat down in front of her, seeing as how Veronica was already occupying the adjacent seat.

He sent Ophelia a text saying, "…did we both share tht dream" and sent it quickly. She replied, "Apparently… and we woke up at the same time." And the two didn't talk about it anymore until they got off the bus and met up in first period, which was their trigonometry class. Oddly enough, Leon was actually awake for once, which was odd… Other than that, nothing was out of the ordinary. Their teacher, Mrs. Mavlren, had given an assignment on the board and was talking with another teacher, who no one could see due to the doorway blocking the line of sight.

While he tried figuring out Pythagorean Theorem, he contemplated telling Oliver and Leon about the dream he had. "Psst, Leon. While teacher's not looking, I had a crazy dream." He said, but Leon interrupted him. He could tell that Leon had been hitting the bong when he faced him, and his eyes were bloodshot. "Dude, so did I! I was on a train… a blue train! And Oliver was there bro!" He said, and Oliver rolled his eyes. "I had a similar dream. Nothing out of the ordinary, there are instances where…"

Before Oliver was given the chance to properly explain the phenomenon, the teacher had been done talking, and the lesson was going on as planned. Apparently, Oliver and Leon had had a very close dream to theirs, but no mention of the enigmatic Igor. He would have to get information out of them later.

Meanwhile, in the first period science class of Mrs. Octaria, the three girls were discussing something similar. "Y-yeah, I was on this weird blue train with Amanda… And we were just sitting there, and it was moving. Could've sworn I heard talking coming from the other cars, but whatever." Veronica said, keeping her voice down so the teacher wouldn't notice them talking in the back of the class.

Amanda spoke next, "Well, whatever that train was, at least it was nice. Maybe when I'm a rich, famous actress I'll buy something like that and use it to go to all the ritziest places across the country!" She said rather loudly, which earned her a look of scorn from one of the boys in her class, Morgan. The poor guy was just trying to understand chemistry, and their talking wasn't helping him any. His dyed black locked covered his eyes, but Amanda could easily tell that he was glaring at her.

6 periods later….

Since Leon and Oliver shared their last two class periods together, and their teachers were still on leave, the school had given them free 7th and 8th period, which they used to leave school.

"L-Leon, I wanted to study in the library damnit." He muttered, but Leon simply would NOT listen to reason. "Dude, trust me, I got this. We are getting you LAID my man! I got these two chicks who LOVE Tartarus, and said they'd do something for my autograph, right? So I told them about you, and they think a dude with brains is hot! Well, not as hot as MWAH but, you get the picture." He said, and they hopped into Leon's car.

"…Leon, are you sure you're OK to drive?" Oliver questioned nervously. Thankfully, Leon's bloodshot eyes were now back to normal, and Leon seemed fine. "Yeah, bro. I'm 110% cool to drive. Just relax and let the L-Man do the work!" He said, and they drove to the more "entertainment" oriented section of town, where the arcade was, along with the movie theater, and the shops. It wasn't even a twenty minute drive, but Leon had taken some back streets to avoid traffic. They had parked in the movie theater parking lot, and right across the street were two lovely young ladies wearing "TARTARUS" t-shirts, with jackets and sweat-pants. Leon waved them over, but they seemed stern about the boys going over to them.

"First lesson of the day, Oliver. Compromise." Leon said, and hopped out. Oliver sighed, and followed. Leon had managed to cross when there was no traffic. However, Oliver, being as cautious as he was, attempted to run, and fell. Leon was buttering up the two girls for his protégé, and Oliver was struggling to get up. Then, that when it all turned into the worst day of Oliver's life.

A tractor-trailer had lost control at the light before the intersection near the movie theater, and Oliver was STILL out in the street. He knew something HORRIBLE was going to happen, and with each time he tried to get up, his hands would slip against the ice, knocking him back down. He shut his eyes tight, and prepared for the worst.

The tractor trailer had actually flipped right at the perfect point, and crushed Oliver's lower legs with a harsh, loud crunching noise. His vision was blurry now, but he could hear a faint voice as he forced his eyes open, his consciousness not to fade. During this, he found a card in his hand. Upon examination, it read, "V: THE HIEROPHANT." He squeezed it to see if he could still operate his arms… and something appeared above him.

It was an older man, chained to a rock. He had some kind of quilt covering his legs, which was black, and long hair that matched Oliver's. Then, it spoke to him. "I am thou… and thou art I… I am Prometheus, the titan who gave the Sun to the humans! I shall aid thee in this endeavor!" He said, and suddenly, Oliver found a second win, and everything was coming into clear view.

One of the first things he saw was Leon frantically trying to LIFT the vehicle off of his dear friend. "FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, LIFT! LIFT DAMN YOU! C'MON GOD, PLEASE, HELP ME OUT!" He cried, and tears were rolling down his eyes. The two girls, who thankfully had common sense, called for an ambulance, and the fire department. Leon still was weeping as he tried to lift with all his might. No amount of weight-lifting could've ever prepared him for this.

"O-Oliver, this is all my fault… I'm such an asshole. You wouldn't be in this shit if it wasn't for me… I'm the biggest fucking moron in the world…" He said amidst the tears. Then, Oliver said something to Leon that snapped him out of it. "Leon. This isn't your fault… Y-you were only trying to help…" He said, smiling through the EXTREME pain.

At this point now, Leon, who was still very upset, had had enough. Just when he was about to give it one final go, he noticed a card in his hand, which pressed into his palm as he grabbed the truck. Then, suddenly, he noticed Prometheus hovering over Oliver. The girls didn't seem to notice, but Leon knew this was what Harry and Ophelia were talking about.

"…C'mon Greek mythology, don't fail me now." He said, and ripped his card in half. The two halves burst into flames, and a black mass of smoke, which barely resembled a wolf, or some kind of canine, howled fiercely. It then spoke to Leon, "I am thou… and thou art I… I am Phobetor, God of Nightmares!" He said, and suddenly, Leon found the resolve to lift the truck one more time.

To his utter astonishment, and everyone else's shock, he LIFTED the truck not only enough to get it off of Oliver, but enough that it actually was not OVER HIS HEAD. He couldn't believe this himself, but he wasn't about to get cocky. He called over to his two fan girls, "HEY, YOU TWO BROADS! MOVE HIM ALREADY!" He said, and they quickly dragged him over to the sidewalk, holding him still and talking to him so that he would stay with them.

Leon, after putting down the truck, still felt like an utter failure. He'd managed to get his best friend crushed by a truck, and wouldn't have been able to save him without his Persona. A million thoughts raced through his head, but they all seemed to fade as Oliver beckoned him over. Leon sat down next to him, and almost broke out into tears again from the sight of his friend's now crushed legs. "…L-Leon… thank you for saving me."

_Wow! What a chapter folks. But you know what this all means now! That's right, it's BRIGHTREDNOVA'S PERSONA CORNER! YAAAAAAAAY!_

_Name: Prometheus_

_Arcana Hierophant_

_Skills: ?_

_Resists: N/A_

_Weak Against: N/A_

_Reflects: N/A_

_Absorbs: N/A_

_Bio: One of the titans who managed to survive being thrown into the pits of Tartarus after the great war between the Gods and the Titans. However, after bringing fire to the humans, he was chained to a rock by Zeus, and a bird was called on to eat out his liver everyday._

_Name: Phobetor_

_Arcana: Devil_

_Skills: ?, ?, ?, ?_

_Resists: Fire/Agi, Mudo/Darkness_

_Weak Against: Light_

_Reflects: N/A_

_Absorbs: N/A_

_Bio: God of Nightmares. Phobetor is able to take the shape of animals. Not much else is known, and he is not involved in any major myths_


	4. Chapter 4

Persona: Dark Side of the Soul

Chapter 3: Bad Moon Rising

"Trouble brings experience, and experience brings wisdom." –Unknown

The whole ride to the hospital, Leon was crying over his friend's exhausted body, blaming himself for getting him into this horrible, horrible mess. What if Oliver were to die this night? Could he live with the guilt? No, probably not. Oliver had given him so much, and Leon had taken something from him… Then, it hit him.

What would Oliver's parents say to him? Would they have him sued, arrested even? What they want his head on a silver platter? Leon began to panic, when a hand gripped his forearm. He looked down, and it was Oliver. "Just… sit down and relax. Maybe we should rip out this I.V. and give you some of the morphine in it… if you haven't already tried it." Oliver said with a laugh, which managed to generate a smile across Leon's face.

"D-don't worry man, we'll get you better… I-I swear! Your legs will be good as new!" Leon said, trying to sound confident, but even Oliver knew his fate. "…Leon, please. Don't lie to yourself. I'll most likely… never be able to stand on my own two feet again." He replied to the bassist, who slumped back in the seat. He decided to at least forward a text to everyone of importance about what happened, and was immediately met with replies of "kk will be waiting hospital."

The ride itself was awkward for both teenagers. One was sure that he was going to live with this guilt so long as he lived, and the other was worried that the first teenager's guilt would push him further towards a dependency towards alcohol and drugs. Oliver knew that this was only the start of worse things yet to come, but for now, he could only close his eyes and pray to God he still had legs, that way he wouldn't have to be stared at in public.

Then, it dawned on him. He'd be crippled. His life would no longer resemble anything prior to this. His parents would worry about him doing everything now, even going to the bathroom by himself. This was going to be a nightmare, and the fact that Leon's new Persona was a God of Nightmares wasn't helping him sleep any faster. Then again, fading from the waking world might be a bad idea right now. He decided to stay awake, and prayed that nothing further would happen to them.

Suddenly, he felt the ambulance stop. Leon yelled up to the front, "What's all this commotion about!" She said, and was pissed as hell. "GODDAMNIT DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!" He said, and looked out the window… There was something in the road, another car-wreck. "AH, HOLD THE FUCK ON!" He said, and kicked the ambulance rear-entrance doors open. He then went to the wreckage, and much to the amazement of the paramedics, PUNCHED the cars out of the way.

He hopped back in, and barked at the paramedics. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR! YOU HAVE A VIOLENTLY INJURED MAN BACK HERE! DRIVE GODDAMNIT! Leon said, punching the back of the thing, and the ambulance floored the petal to the metal. They did not even question HOW Leon had cleared the wreckage, and the paramedic in the back with the two teenagers was checking Oliver's blood. "…How'd you do that without Phobetor?" The young man with the glasses said to his giant "guardian angel."

Leon realized this as well. "…Oh my god, I did do that, didn't I?" He said, and looked at the card in his hand. He hadn't broken it, and the God of Nightmares hadn't spoken to him. "…Why though… what's going on…" He thought, and Oliver replied. "I don't know… Wait, when did you practice ventriloquism?" He said, and Leon gave him an awfully odd look.

"…I was thinking… Oh shit, you can read minds!" He said, and the paramedic gave them an odd glare. Leon smile and apologized, "S-sorry, I'm just trying to keep him going with some funny crap, you know?"

Of course, the nurse thought he was under tons of stress, and didn't say anything in reply. She ran more tests on Oliver's blood, and Leon kept to himself for the rest of the ride. He was highly distraught over the whole ordeal. Then, Oliver was forced to do something- he looked down at his legs. A thick white sheet had been put over them so that he wouldn't go back into shock, but hot DAMN were there some red patches. He knew it was blood, and wasn't going to fool himself. He knew there was a chance he might die this day… But for some reason, he was alive and well.

Oh right, he had a Greek mythological titan keeping him alive. That made PERFECT sense.

Well, as long as Prometheus was doing his job, Oliver didn't care… until they had finally arrived at the hospital.

One of the first things he was greeted with was the sound of his friends, and his parents, concerned and firing questions at him and Leon. Leon, the poor guy, received the brunt of the "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT" speeches from everyone gathered. Harry, who normally was calm and cool, was screaming at him. Ophelia was giving him a quiet glare. Amanda was belittling him and calling him a drunken asshole.

It wasn't until he felt the full impact of this that he was punched in the face by Veronica, who was practically fuming. Before his dad could get a crack at the titanic bassist, Oliver spoke up, "ALL OF YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He said, which was WAY out of character for him. "Stop blaming Leon! He was only trying to help me out socially, and it was my own damned fault! He was only being a good friend, and look at what all of you are doing to him now! The lot of you make me sick!" He said as he was lowered onto the ground with the help of Leon and the orderly. "For God's sake, Leon saved my life you assholes!" He said, right before he was carted off. His parents and the other paramedics followed him inside.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop Harry and the others from leaping at Leon like a tank full of sharks lunging at a bleeding seal for food. "What in the bloody hell were you thinking!" Amanda said, and promptly delivered a fierce slap to Leon's face. Harry was just about to punch him, when Harry heard an all too familiar sound- the sound of a Persona-Tarot card breaking.

Above Leon stood Phobetor, who cackled maliciously as Leon took a defensive stance. "W-will you all just SHUT THE FUCK UP and listen to me? Holy shit!" He barked at the lot of them. "I-it wasn't my fault, OK! I was helping him out!"

"How, you drunken prick, how did you manage to fuck up this time?" Veronica said fiercely. "You did that thing where you slide into the intersection, didn't you?" She said. That's when it hit Leon- he never said HOW Oliver's legs were crushed… So he decided to explain.

"Listen to me. Oliver was made prone like that when slid on an ice patch, and a friggin' truck flipped over and crushed his legs. Then he got his Persona-" Leon said, but was interrupted by Veronica.

"W-wait, what the hell is a Persona? A-And what the hell is that thing floating over you?" She said, just now noticing the floating black canine situated over the object of everyone's anger. Amanda quickly noticed too, and took a step back. Harry and Ophelia, however, were not afraid.

"…I see. Oliver got his Persona… And what, you got that wolf there by slamming back a bottle of vodka?" Harry asked, malice dripping from his voice.

Leon quickly shot back, "No, I did it by doing this." He said, and with ONE hand this time, lifted the ambulance truck over his head.

Amanda and Veronica were scared out of their wits, and even Ophelia flinched, but Harry remained calm. "OK, I'm sorry I lashed out at you like that… But what the FUCK Leon, why did you even drag him out to meet two of your bimbo fans?"

"Because I thought he would like it, OK! The poor guy barely even talks to girls, 'cept for Amanda and the other two broads there, and you sure as hell don't even give a damn about him!" Leon said, anger building up inside him that he was being ganged up on. "I-I was… only trying to pay him back…"

"Pay him back for what?" Veronica said, ignorant of the fact that Leon's father, Bruce Crowley, had walked out on his son, daughter and wife not even six years ago. Leon gave her a death glare, which prompted Amanda to drag her aside to explain this. Harry and Ophelia then dragged Leon himself aside.

Harry was the first to speak up. "Look, Leon, all we wanna know right now is, what was Oliver's Persona like, did the Shadows attac-" Harry said, but Leon cut him off.

"Woah woah woah, the fuck is a shadow?" He asked, looking at his Irish friend like he had horns growing out of his head.

Ophelia then spoke up, "S-shadows are… evil manifestations of our subconscious. T-they're what happens when a person rejects their true self. W-we got lucky and got Personas instead of shadows who would have tried to kill us…" She said, and hung her head. "…Y-you'll learn tonight when you go to sleep."

"F-fuck sleep!" Leon shot back. "I-I ain't sleepin' until I know Olly pulls through! I ain't leavin' his bedside, and fuck his parents if they try to tell ME otherwise!" And with that, like the damned fool that he was, Leon ran inside.

Amanda re-joined Ophelia and Harry with Veronica, and shook her head, "…Poor Leon… We barked at him like mad dogs, and he only really cared about Oliver." She said regretfully. "We should apologize to him later."

"Later, yes. For now, he deserves the guilt and the anger being thrown at him." Veronica said harshly. "I don't care if his daddy's gone or not, Oliver's never gonna walk again because of that drunk!"

Of course, Harry nodded in agreement. "Veronica, believe me. I still think Leon's at fault here, but he's never gonna live this down. The guilt he'll face whether Oliver walks or dies will be his eternal punishment. Us yelling at him like this is overkill." He said, and Amanda glared at him.

"Leon was only trying to help! That is SO like you Harry, always quick to blame him when everything goes wrong! You're a jerk!" She said, stomped on his foot, and ran inside after the big guy.

"…Standing here will accomplish nothing." [insertOphelia/Veronicahere] said, and the three remaining teens ran inside, following Amanda's lead.

They found her talking to Leon outside of the emergency room, Oliver's parents already inside. They approached the two, and Amanda immediately got defensive, "I don't want a word out of any of you blaming him. Got it? The LAST thing he needs right now is more guilt and shit for this." She hissed, and sat down with Leon to try and calm him down. The big bassist was choking back tears, and one of the things he mumbled under his breath was "Oliver, I'm so sorry man…"

Harry sighed, and decided enough was enough as well. He sat down on Leon's opposite side, and put his arm around his friend. "…Listen man. I know what we said back there was messed up but… this isn't like getting one of us into trouble at school- this is big." He said, and Leon looked at him, tears streaming down his face.

"I-I… I know that. I fucked up big time man… big time…" He said, and put his hands to his face.

Oliver's parents were forced out of the emergency room, and immediately noticed the sobbing Leon, whose slumped over posture and eyes-full-of-tears seemed to speak volumes about the trauma HE was going through right now. His mother was in tears herself, and his father was furious at him. When he walked over, Harry, of all people, got in his way. "Mr. Hoffenbruen, please, arguing at a time like this is NOT a good idea."

"Who're you to tell me, Harry? Because of that drunken lunatic, my son's never gonna walk again!" He said, and Leon bit his lip, and sobbed harder. "Yeah, that's right you big, dumb animal! You should be ashamed!" He barked at the grief-stricken teenager.

And finally, Harry had had it. "YOU KNOW WHAT MR. HOFFENBRUEN? I think YOU need to get the hell out of here NOW. Leon SAVED your son from that overturned truck; you should be THANKING him, not doing this!"

Amanda joined in as well. "If it weren't for Leon, Olly might've never even had any social experience. He only had his friend's interests at heart, and never meant any harm. And yet here you are trying to mock and demean him. YOU, the adult, should be ashamed." She said hatefully.

"Oohh, Ms. Hexin. Just WAIT until your mother hears about this." Mr. Hoffenbruen said. "You do not talk to an adult like that!"

SLAP!

Peter Hoffenbruen held his face after his wife had slapped him hard, hard enough that there was a hand print now across his face. "L-look at you! Arguing with our son's friends when they only came here because he was in trouble!" YOU'RE the asshole here, Peter!" She said, and looked past her husband to see Leon's weeping form, huddled over in shame and self-hate.

"…Leon. Everyone. Wait here and follow Oliver to his room. Mr. Hoffenbruen and I will discuss these issues outside where it won't disturb anyone else." Mrs. Hoffenbruen said, and dragged her husband outside of the E.R. waiting area, and the hospital.

"…Well, it's just us again…" Ophelia muttered, curling a piece of her hair around her finger as she bit her bottom lip in anticipation. Everyone was doing something to try and ease the tension- Amanda had begun trying to text somebody to take her mind off of things, Veronica was praying, Harry was asking a nurse questions that just came out of the room… and Leon… he was dead silent.

"I-I'll never be able to live with myself if he doesn't come out OK…" He said, and put his hands back into his palms. He reached into his jacket for his pack of cigarettes, but Amanda slapped his wrist. "Damnit Leon, we're in a hospital!" She said sternly, and Leon put them away.

The minutes turned to hours as the group waited in anticipation, each hoping that their intellectually gifted friend could survive being crushed by a truck. Then, suddenly, the door opened, and the leading surgeon on the team, Dr. Ramos, stepped out. He had a rather somber look on his face as he removed his surgical mask, and looked up at the five teenagers.

"…Your friend… he's going to live. He may not walk again, but he will definitely live his entire life. You and him should all be very, very lucky." The doctor said. "I'm afraid he needs to wake up from the anesthesia first, then we have to move him into an actual room, then you can talk to him all you like. I am so terribly sorry this happened." He said, and went back inside.

Suddenly, the mood was greatly changed, and everyone felt a weight leave their shoulders. There was much dancing, hugging, celebrating over all! Even Leon was back to his old self, and was dancing around with Amanda. Harry, Ophelia, and Veronica were all hopping mad from the good news.

Of course, this earned them all a couple of odd glares from some of the other people waiting in the E.R., but one or two people were sympathetic, and smiled at their happiness.

They continued to dance until they saw the door open, and Oliver was being pushed out on a stretcher, nurses running alongside him with I.V.'s. "…I thought he wasn't waking up for a while…" Leon said, and stood there for a couple of seconds. Then, like a pack of wolves that had just found their latest meal ticket, ran after Oliver's cart. Thankfully, it stayed on the main floor, and the group barged in to find Oliver awake and playing his DS.

"Hi guys, what's up?" The thought to be near-death young man said, bright-eyed and awake. Leon, of all people, rushed over and hugged him tight, sobbing on his shoulder. "O-Olly, I am so sorry… I don't deserve to live after this… I-I'm an idiot…" Leon said in between sobs, only to be struck by Oliver. "Don't say that," He said calmly, "It wasn't your fault. You were only trying to help. I don't blame you."

This only made Leon sob harder. "B-but… you should hate me… for what I did to you. The doctors said you'll never walk again… Oliver, I'm a monster. I don't deserve to live…" Leon said, and Oliver struck him harder. "Leon, shut the fuck up. You're a great friend. You saved my life."

Leon was crying again, but at least he was able to be consoled by Amanda, who took him outside the room for a bit. Harry sat down next to his intellectually gifted friend, and patted him on the shoulder. "You and the big guy gave us quite a scare, O-Man." The Irish teen said, giving his friend a grin. "…But… He also said… when you got hit, you got one of these." Harry said, and help up the card which allowed him to summon Jason.

Oliver produced a similar card, which held the image of Prometheus. The banner under him read "V: THE HIEROPHANT," which made Harry frown. "Oliver. That card you're holding… it means you, and Leon, Ophelia, and I, are all marked to be some kind of heroes. Those monsters… they're called Shadows. But… it's not my place to tell. You and Leon will see tonight when you go to sleep." He said, and sighed. "Just be wary of men with long noses."

"…Harry, that was VERY anti-Semitic." Oliver said, crossing his arms. "That's very prejudiced of you."

Ophelia jumped into the conversation. "N-no, Oliver, the man you'll see tonight in your dream has a really, really long nose. It's almost like a python… kinda…" She said, possibly exaggerating as to the true length of Igor's nose. "…L-listen though, we are VERY happy that you're alive… and someone else was too." Ophelia said, and she moved out of the way with Harry for Veronica to sit next to Oliver.

"…Hey Veronica." Oliver said, blushing a bit as Veronica hugged him. He let out a sigh of happiness as she held him. All the pain from the waist below melted away, and his expression at the time made Harry and Ophelia giggle. "Ah, just like a kid in a candystore." He said, and Leon and Amanda walked back in.

"I finally got the big man to stop with the waterworks. I am awesome like that." Amanda said, proud of her work as Leon waited for Veronica to get done holding Oliver, and sat down himself. "Listen, you guys head on home… I'll talk to Oliver's parents about me stayin' here with him. This is my fault, and I wanna make amends." Leon said, completely ready for this.

"…Suit yourself, Leo'." Harry said, smiling. "Glad to see you're serious about helping Oliver out though. I'm actually kinda proud of you, man. It's like… you grew up a little today." He said, and almost at the words "grew up," Leon frowned.

"…Harry, you don't know shit. Just get out of here before I get drunk like your dad an' bear yer Irish ass." Leon said, imitating his father's heavy Irish accent. Harry chuckled, and left with Ophelia, Veronica and the rest. They passed Oliver's parents, and they immediately hugged their son… and then, Ms. Hoffenbruen hugged Leon.

"O-oh Leo… I know you've always been Oliver's best friend… A-and you were only trying to help… We don't blame you… B-but… He's never going to walk again… We spoke to the doctor…" She said, tears rolling down her face.

Leon stood proudly, and replied, "M'am. I will never let anything happen to him again. You mark my words, if anyone even LOOKS at him the wrong way, I will crack someone's skull in with my goddamned bass!" He said, and Mr. Hoffenbruen gave him a nasty look. "Just like your father, Mr. Crowley. Always so quick to violence."

"…I'm not my father. I plan on fixing this mess. I want to help- Let me stay here with Oliver until he's released." Leon said, and Mr. Hoffenbruen's look went from nasty to downright hateful.

"Absolutely not. Of all the things I want you to do right now, being near MY son-" He was about to say again, until his wife gave him an evil glare. He shut up, and she said to Leon, "…If you wish. I'm sure your mother will say OK. I'll call her to let her know." She said, hugged Leon, kissed her son on the cheek, and went outside to make a phone call.

Mr. Hoffenbruen followed, and Leon looked out the window to see… his friends being held at knifepoint. Wait, what the hell!

Down below, Harry and company were in fact being held at knife point by a group of thugs. Harry, despite his Irish charm, couldn't talk his way out of the situation. These guys were out for something, and they didn't want his jokes or happy-go-lucky behavior.

"Give us the two dames with the big chests." The one voice spoke, his face covered up by a black ski mask. He sounded like one of the kids from their school, but no one could put a finger on who the voice belonged to.

Amanda stepped forward, somehow not afraid that they might die if they didn't comply with the mugger's demands. "Listen you, my boyfriend is in that hospital right now. He's six foot three and-" She tried to say threateningly, but two more muggers came up behind her and Veronica, and held blades to their necks.

The leader chuckled, "I don't care if your boyfriend was fuckin' Leon Crowley! You ain't getting' away without us gettin' what we want, sweetheart. Now you two lovebird run along, we wanna spend some… quality time with these two lovely young ladies."

Without skipping a beat, they shot the two girls a look, and Harry and Ophelia fled. Ophelia called the cops, of course, as the two other girls were taken into an alley across the street from the hospital.

Once they were inside, the two girls immediately began to beg for their lives. The leader smacked them both, shutting them up. "Listen you two. We just want some… alone time, not your lives. So just shut up and give us what we want, and you're free to go. If you scream… well then bad things will happen. Capiche?" He said, and they shook their heads.

Amanda quaked with fear. This was it. Every girl's worst nightmare. She figured she deserved this, given how she was kinda loose with guys, but this would be her divine punishment… Or so she thought.

Veronica piped up. "P-please… let my friend go. Do whatever you want to me, j-just please… let her go… I'll do whatever you say…" She said, her voice filled with dread.

The goon holding onto Amanda spoke up, "Well boss? Ditch one so we can have the big lady all night long? He said, and the boss pondered this.

"Yes… yes. I like it. Go on, Ms., enjoy your night. And don't even think about callin' the cops, of you're fuckin' dead." He said, and the goon released her, and pushed her out of the alley.

Needless to say, Amanda ran, and fast. She kept thinking about how this was a nightmare, and maybe some big monster would eat her and it would end, or some guy would appear out of nowhere and stab her. As she looked back towards the alley, she bumped into something big. And nasty. And holding something slung over his shoulder. She prayed to god her death, whether it was real or in a nightmare, be swift and painless…

However, death would be see her this day, for the figure was none other than the infamous Leon S. Crowley. "Hey there little momma. Where'd those goons gun off to? I got someone I want them to meet." He said, referring to the monstrous bass he had over his shoulder. "My mom dropped off my car, this was in the trunk, so ya know-" He tried to say, but Amanda's fear filled voice stopped him, "I-In the alley! They're gonna rape Veronica!"

Immediately, without skipping a beat, Leon SPRINTED over towards the alleyway. He and Amanda quickly ducked behind cover, and they saw the two of the guys… bloodied. And on the ground, groaning in pain. The other guy, their leader, FLEW out of the alleyway, and his face had major bruises, and his body some nasty marks on it. "What the fuck did Veronica do!" She said, and Leon looked further back. Hovering over Veronica was… a Persona.

It was a gargantuan woman armed with a battle axe, wearing a grass skirt, and some kind of armored shirt. Her eyes and hair were similar to Veronica's, and she had a haughty grin on her face. Veronica, however, did not match her Persona's expression- She had been stabbed for not complying, and the blood loss was scaring her to death. "N-no… I don't wanna die…" She said, and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.

Amanda immediately ran over, and noticed a card in her hand. "Release me… and I can save your friend…" A voice in her head went off. She ripped the card in two, and out came a beautiful young woman with bright red skin, fairy wings, long black hair, and no mouth. She wore a long black skirt, and the Persona users there could hear a voice, "I am thou… and thou art I… I am Echo, the nymph!" She said, and cast Dia on Veronica. Thankfully, the knife wound wasn't too bad, but it still caused some bleeding, which was healed by the Dia spell.

Leon rushed over too, and Amanda held Veronica. "V-Veronica, you saved me… I-I shouldn't have fled. I should have fought… I'm a coward." She said, and Veronica shook. "…A-Amanda… T-they…" She said, and Leon noticed something. Parts of her clothes were ripped, but she seemed to have kept them out of her pants. He still put his jacket around her to keep her warm, and looked up at the sky.

"Oh thank you Jesus! Thank you JESUS!" Leon said, and laughed out of relief. "…Wait, what did they do to you Veronica?"

Before anything else could happen, such as Veronica answering Leon's question, red and blue lights surrounded the alleyway.

"This is the Svedton police! Come out with your hands…" an Officer's voice said, but it stopped when it had been noticed that the criminals had already been… apprehended.

Police officers quickly rushed inside, and made sure everything was OK, before they noticed… Leon. "Crowley." The one officer said, and shook his head. "Small time theft, underage drinking, those things I can see… but this. You're going away-"He said, about to take out his handcuffs before Leon got in his face. "Listen you. Before you even THINK about blaming this on me, the guys that did this to Veronica are right outside. And another thing, Officer, if I had done it, don't you think I would have fled the seen WITH my jacket?" He said, and pointed out that Veronica was wearing his jacket to cover up her exposed body parts.

"…I'll be damned, Crowley. You did good tonight. You saved a young woman's-" The police officer was about to say, but Leon stopped him again. "Officer O'Malley, while receiving positive credit from you is AWESOME, I didn't do this. Veronica… she took those guys out with her own brute strength." He said, and Veronica nodded. She let out a squeak, and tears rolled down her face. "T-they never… actually did anything… Everything just went red… A-are they OK!"

Leon looked at her. They… never did anything. Jesus Christ. This day just got a HELL of a lot weirder.

Harry and Ophelia rushed in to make sure everything was OK, and as per usual, Leon was dragged aside by Harry. Leon spoke first, and fast, "Amanda and Veronica have Personas."

"…Shit," was all Harry could say, putting his hands on the top of his head. "This day… Oh my god, this day… What are we gonna do, man. We have to stop this shit with the Shadows but… We have Oliver in a wheelchair, Veronica's just been… sexually assaulted, and… Oh my god…" He said, but Leon smacked him.

"Chill the FUCK out. Panicking is not gonna get us anywhere. We need to calm down, all sleep, meet this long nose dude in our dreams, and meet up when everyone's healthy. Got it memorized?" Leon said, looking his friend in the eye.

"…I understand, Leon. But I have the feeling that these Personas… the crap happening in this town… It's bigger than us, man. Something BIG is about to go down."

(Real quick, before I give you some more Persona info, someone asked me some questions in a recent review.

Yes, there will be Personas of different mythologies, but no, there is NOT going to be a Fool character. Remember, Personas users have been able to survive in the past without a Fool to lead them. Just look at Persona 1 and 2. Anyways…)

Wow folks, what another wild chapter! But now, since Veronica and Amanda finally have their Personas, you know what that means! THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S TIME FOR BRIGHTREDNOVA'S PERSONA COMPENDIUM… thingy.

Name: Echo  
>Arcana: Lovers<br>Skills: Dia, ?, ?, ?  
>Resists: WindGaru  
>Weak Against: Lightning<br>Reflects: N/A  
>Absorbs: NA  
>Bio: Echo was the nymph who fell in love with Narcissus, and continued to throw herself at him despite him never acknowledging her feelings. Nemesis then cursed Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection, where he withered away and died. However, she could never talk again, for she herself was cursed to only repeat the last thing Narcissus ever said.<p>

Name: Alala  
>Arcana: Strength<br>Skills: Cleave, ? , ?, ?  
>Resists: Slash<br>Weak Against: Aqua/Water  
>Reflects: NA  
>Absorbs: NA  
>Bio: Personification of the cry of Battle in Greek mythology. Not mentioned in any major myths, but it's assumed she gave strength to warriors in battle who cried out to Ares.<p>

(Also, while we're here in this corner folks, do no be confused: Alala's weakness IS Water/Aqua.

So what does that mean? Has BrightRedNova gone mad, throwing other SMT elements into our precious Persona series?

Yes, I have gone mad. Sure, it's two extra elements, but I have plans, trust me.  
>So now, for those of you wondering, the chart would look like this:<p>

Phys.:  
>Slash, Strike, Pierce<p>

Magic:  
>Agi, Bufu, Garu, Zio, Tera, Aqua<p>

ONE-HIT-KO:  
>Hama, Mudo<p>

And that's all she wrote! See you next chapter, folks!


	5. Chapter 5

Persona: Dark Side of the Soul

Chapter 4: In Times of Trouble

"God is a concept by which we measure our pain."  
>John Lennon<p>

As Veronica was being taken into the hospital and having questions fired at her by the police, the mind of Harry Valkryin seemed to almost shut down. So far, in one day, his friend Oliver Hoffenbruen had been crushed by a truck and was rendered unable to walk for the rest of his life; his other friend, Leon Crowley, had seemed to go from happy go lucky drunk to depressed drunk; his two female friends, Amanda Hexin and Veronica Mosley, had been held at knifepoint, and one of them had nearly been assaulted.

Harry held his head as he heard a faint voice beckon him from his thoughts, but it was to no avail. He was a mess, and his messy hair and mental state were proof of it. It finally took a soft voice, and a gentle touch on his arm to snap him out of this state before he turned to see Ophelia trying to get his attention.

"U-umm… Harry, are you OK? You haven't said anything in nearly a half hour…" Ophelia said as she was gently tugging on his arm. She gave him a worried look, and sighed. "Look, Harry, I know it's been a long day, but you need to calm down. Everything's calmed down now." She said reassuringly.

Harry, however, was less than reassured. Two friends of his, two he dearly cared for, had been severely injured- one mentally, one physically- and would take time to recover. "…I don't believe this fucking shit…" He muttered to himself, and put his hands to his face. In the face of such chaos, what with the Shadows, this was NOT happening.

"…God, if you love me, you'll make sure nothing else bad happens to my friends…" He muttered as he tried to ponder more on the current situation again. Of course, it was somewhat hard to do it now that the worried parents of Veronica were pacing back and forth outside of the room. Leon was being questioned by a police officer with Amanda, and Ophelia was sitting next to him. He could only let out a sigh and wonder what the hell had happened to his sleepy little town. Sure, things could have been worse, far worse, but he continued to pray that nothing else went wrong.

Thankfully, nothing else of importance happened. All seemed to go quiet for the newly-empowered Persona users as Veronica was being tended to. Amanda and Leon sat in the room with her, Leon was in Oliver's room, and Ophelia and Harry were sitting outside of both rooms, keeping each other company. Ophelia eventually noticed that Harry was falling asleep, and eventually, he was beginning to fade from the realm of consciousness.

Sadly, though, this unconscious state took him into a dream rather than the Velvet Room. Instead, he was cast into something he was probably much more accustomed to; the realm of dreams. It was very unrealistic, as it was a huge church hall, akin to the train cars of the Velvet Room, but something was… off. On the one side of this vast expanse church was a rather… odd sight. It was all of his friends, in the form of… Tarot cards. Leon was The Devil, but not much else was different from ram horns. Oliver was the Hierophant, but instead of the throne on the actual card he was featured in a wheel-chair. Amanda was pictured standing next to a tall young man with ram horns, which made Leon roll his eyes. He also noticed what appeared to be a picture of Veronica taming a lion…

But, then, his vision was ensnared by the image of Ophelia, who was adorned in the outfit of the High Priestess. He was drawn to the image, and almost stuck his hand up to the image of sweet Ophelia just sitting there, looking refined and proper. But before the dream-world would permit him to touch the image of who was apparently his crush, more giant pictures floated into view further down into the "hall" of this massive church.

From what Harry could decipher, more tarot cards, basked in a blue light, were being shown from the dark hallway. There was what appeared to be a man holding a microphone stand on top of a Tower, a young woman holding a scythe, which made Harry think of Death, a young man with long hair being hung upside down from his foot, and two people standing in front of the moon and the sun- a man and a woman respectively.

Suddenly, he heard… voices tied to these images. Voices he knew for the most part. They were coming from the foggiest parts of his memory, but he could understand what they were saying. Eventually, he heard one, booming voice which commanded him, "FIND THEM AND STEEL THEM AGAINST THE JUDGMENT!"

With a bright flash of light, Harry had awoken to Ophelia and Leon now trying to get him up. His eyes shot open, and to the sight of Leon with his fist cocked back, which he quickly dropped. "…Hey I thought it would work!" Leon quickly said in his own defense, holding both his hands up.

Harry, while somewhat annoyed by his large friend's antics, quickly got up and looked outside. It was snowing as of right now, and the town seemed quieter, almost dead silent, as a result. "…I don't know what we're gonna do Leon. Oliver can't walk, Veronica just got assaulted… and now these crazy ass Shadow things are gonna try and kill people." He said, and shook his head. "…And we're the only ones that can stop it."

Leon chuckled a little. "Man, don't be so serious about it, bro. I'm sure we're gonna be OK before something major happens."

Ophelia spoke in Harry's defense, "B-but umm, Leon, what if those Shadow things attack Oliver inside the hospital?"

The bassist sighed, and facepalmed. "Look. You two were OUTSIDE when your attack occurred. And if I remember correctly when we were little, they attacked OUTSIDE again. They don't seem to like being indoors with humans. The only risk we run is being out late at night by ourselves. Got it memorized?" Leon said, and helped Harry to his feet. "Come on, you need to get your ass home. I'm staying here with Oliver and Amanda's gonna stay the night with Veronica since her parents are… busy at the moment. Here's some cash for the bus." He said, and slid not just that, but… a condom into Harry's pocket.

He looked at Leon like he saw him in the dream- ram horns growing out of his head. Leon motioned over to a space-out Ophelia, and Harry glared at him. "You're dead later on." Harry said, and walked off with her.

Leon returned to Oliver's room, and shut the door behind him. "So umm… I take it your parents gave you your crap while we're here?" He said, and Oliver produced his Nintendo DS from a drawer next to him, and started playing Pokemon: White on it. "I honestly don't know where I'd be without this thing, Leon. It's like I get lost in another world…" Oliver said with a light sigh, and began to play the game.

"You know them shits are bad for your eyes, right?" Leon retorted as he threw his shirt and jacket onto the windowsill, and shuts the windows. He folded out a bed from himself, kicked off his shoes, and lied down on the bed, not even bothering to pull the covers up over him.

"…Would you kindly sleep with your shirt on? It's bad enough I have to wear this damned hospital thing and you get to wear your clothes," Said the smartest of the group from behind his DS. He glanced out from behind it and saw that Leon had become more… muscular since… this afternoon?

"Leon, stand up." He said, and sat up in bed himself. "Um, Olly, I don't roll that way bro if you're gonna check me out." Leon replied, blushing a little bit. "U-umm… it's bad enough Amanda almost saw me that one time-" He was about to say, but Oliver seemed quite serious.

Leon got up from his small, makeshift bed and Oliver compared it to a picture from a Tartarus performance that had happened not but a weak ago. "…Your Persona did something to your physical makeup, Mr. Crowley. Apparently you're not only stronger but Phobetor gave you some other wild things to."

After deciding it was nothing more than his new extreme workouts, Leon plopped back down onto the bed. Just as he was about to shut his eyes, a knock came on the door. "…Mother of God, this had BETTER be good." He said, and got up to answer it. Lo and behold Ms. Hexin was the knocker, and her sight was immediately drawn to Leon's new and improved abs. "Damn. I think I just found my new table." She said, and shook her head. "Anyway, umm… Leon, can we talk for a minute? In private?"

Leon quickly threw on his t-shirt and followed her to a hallway where no one really seemed to be around. Amanda was waiting down the hallway, motioning for him to come over. He did, and she wrapped her arms around him tight. "Thank you thank you thank you~" she said, squeezing him tight. "If you hadn't come along and helped Veronica… Who knows what would've happened."

"Uhm, Amanda, trust me, it was really nothing…" Leon said, his face turning bright red. "Amanda, you're acting weird. Did you hit the sauce?" He said, looking at her like she'd been intoxicated again. "…What are you-" He said, and she pulled his head down and proceeded to make out with him. Right there. In the middle of the empty hospital hallway.

Leon, while taken aback by this, was all for the random make-out session, was still rather embarrassed that Amanda had just sprung it on him like this. His heart raced in his chest and her lips kept pressing up against his, and he could taste… strawberries. Oh god, they were like sweet ambrosia at this point as his body screamed for more.

Eventually, the outside world was blocked off from his senses, and everything tasted of strawberries. For this brief moment in time, everything was null and void to him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. However, all good things must come to an end, and he was forced to face the reality that he WAS in a hospital as Amanda broke off the kiss.

"I'm uh, sorry if that was a little sudden, but… I figured it was the only way you would know how thankful I am for what you did." Amanda said somewhat bashfully, like she'd never done this kind of thing before. Leon was acting bashful as well, as anyone could tell by the blush on his face. "I umm… you're welcome, Amanda. It was really no big deal. Hell that little um… that wasn't really needed, I'm fine…" He said, but he was lying through his teeth- Amanda's feminine wiles had sent his mind into a state of "OH MY GOD WHAT JUST HAPPENED."

Amanda smiled, and replied, "I dunno, that blast on your face makes me think something else is up, Mr. Crowley~ I'll see you tomorrow for school!" She said, and left.

Leon made his way back to Oliver's room, face still bright red. Oliver peered up from his DS to see a flustered Leon remove his shirt and climb back into bed, this time lying down on his side. "…Hey Olly, don't ask me to get you anything for a while. And I-I'm serious." He said, and Oliver looked over and noticed something. "…You have lipstick on your face, bucko… Did you and Amanda…. For God's sake Leon, this is a hospital!" He said, and Leon shot back, "Dude, no, we did NOT do the nasty in a hospital! I have standards!"

"Oh yeah, YOU have standards Leon. And I still have the ability to walk." Oliver said as he got back into his game.(Betanote: Surprising that he can joke about it now.) Leon put his hands to his face after he said that one. "Look, all we did was make out, OK? And I didn't even want it; she said it was a thank you for saving her and Veronica… Damnit Olly, any other time I'm just able to shake things off, but my heart's still on full blast… the fuck is going on?"

Oliver smirked, and replied, "You know Leon, maybe this is your junk telling you it's tired of boning a new girl each night. It wants some, oh, I dunno, normalcy. Maybe you're in love with Amanda Hexin."

Leon shot upright, eyes wide and full of fear. "N-no man, that can't be it! No way in hell!" He shot back, teeth now chattering. "I have plenty of fangirls! What would make HER the one?"

"…Leon let's be real here for a minute." Oliver said, shutting the DS and adjusting his glasses. "You and she have been showing signs of it for as FAR back as I can remember. Childhood bickering, fighting, always finding the right ways to say 'I'm sorry' and hanging out afterwards! And SHE always CALLED YOU first! It's kinda obvious she feels something too, you big lummox."

The heavy-metal rocker pondered over this for a bit. Yes, there are instances in his memory of him and Amanda doing such things… and later on down the road, there were memories of them holding hands, and ditching social events together just to hang out… My god, could Oliver have been right?

"W-what else do you remember?" Leon said in a hurried tone, trying to remember some other important detail his mind just… just couldn't get out.

"…She WAS your first kiss if that's anything to you." Oliver said, and with that, Leon had fainted, out like a light.

Oliver sighed, and decided to try and join his friend in the world of the subconscious.

However, their dreams didn't take them to anything they were expecting- they were on a train. A train with a cool, dark blue interior, decorated with some gold trimmings along the seat and the curtains. Before they could even say "What the hell," the car door opened up from behind, and out stepped… Veronica? "…Where in the HELL are we?" Veronica shouted, in a tone that made even Leon flinch.

Oliver wasn't even able to provide an answer himself, and was shocked to see that not only was Leon sharing his dream, but… Veronica as well? What was the meaning of all this?

"One of you had BETTER start giving me some answers, or so help me…" She said, fists shaking as she stepped forward. She let out an "eep" as the door slammed behind her, effectively trapping her in this car with the others. "…Well, umm… Sorry if I seemed kind of rude, but one doesn't go to sleep and expect to wake up in a train."

"…I don't think this is really a train, is it?" Leon said, and peered outside. From what he could see, they weren't on earth anymore, and it was some kind of blue mist outside of the train, for as far as his eyes could see. "…Well it's certainly not Kansas."

"What do you mean it's not-" Oliver said, and gazed out of the window. "…Oh my god, we've done it. We've done interdimensional travel." He said abruptly, and stood up. Wait. He stood up?

Oliver looked down at his legs. Whatever this place was, it appeared had healed him to some extent, as he could walk around with relative ease. "…I don't even feel pain! This is wonderful!" He said, and hugged Veronica out of happiness. She returned the sentiment by hugging him back, but she forgot her strength. "Ver…onica… My lungs…" Oliver managed to gasp out, and she immediately let go. "S-sorry Olly!" She said, and helped him to sit back down.

"…So! Do we get peanuts on this bitch or what?" Leon said, seemingly ignoring that Oliver could now walk again. Deep down he was happy, but something told him that his friend was being played by someone- or something. "…Seriously I'm hungry!" He said, and soon another door opened up. From what the others could see, Ophelia and Harry were- wait, Ophelia and Harry were in the next room!

"What is this shit?" Oliver said in a hushed tone, he said, and looked inside. There was also some man with a long nose, and a lovely young woman in some kind of waitresses' outfit. "Gentlemen, Miss. Please, step into the main car. We have much to discuss." The long nosed man said, and they made their way into the car. Leon had the most puzzled look of all. "…Where in the hell are we?"

"You, Mr. Crowley, are in the VELVET ROOM!" Igor said joyously, overly excited to have even more guests. "This is a place where the unconscious minds of you and your friends will meet from now on, so that I can tell you how to use your powers!"

"W-woah. How does this guy know about Phobetor and all of our Personas!" Leon said, his teeth chattering.

"Relax, sir. I am what you would call a 'nerd' about this sort of things. You are not the first people to ever awaken to their Personas, and you certainly shall not be the last. Please, allow me to explain what has been happening so far."

"Before you begin," Oliver said, "…Is that why I'm able to walk? Because this isn't real?" He said in an annoyed tone. "…You like dicking with people?"

"Mr. Hoffenbruen, please. It is not by my design that you have the ability to walk here. I am terribly sorry that what happened to you happened, but it is also not my fault. It was horrible coincidence that your Persona awakened in response to such a horrible event. You have my deepest apologies."

"…Very well then." Oliver said, and sat down. He seemed rather cross with Igor and his assistant, as now he felt as if he'd been duped into almost believing that he'd been given his legs back.

"While we cannot give you what was lost, Mr. Oliver," Angelina said, trying to be as nice as possible given the situation, "we can help you learn more about your Personas and the Shadows attacking your town. I ensure you; our assistance is something you simply cannot go on without."

"…Then explain, by all means." Oliver said, and sat back. However, Igor and Angelina looked at each other, almost waiting for something. "Ummm… We're actually waiting for the sixth member of your group, Ms. Hexin. She appears to be unable to sleep." Igor said, looking over the guest list. "M'yes, she normally passes through this realm any minute now…"

And soon enough, Amanda was the last person to step through the door to the Velvet Room. She looked highly disoriented, and was shocked not only to see her friends in the train car to nowhere, but the two new people shocked her the most. "What in the fudge is going on here?" Amanda said, backing up a little bit. "I-I don't understand. I was literally ASLEEP a few seconds ago."

Igor seemed rather surprised to see her in the Velvet Room, and also happy now. "Come in Ms. Hexin! Make yourself at home. Be aware though that this is NOT a dream. This is the joined subconscious of all human minds! Do not worry though, you will be returned to your world after we are done… debriefing you on these matters."

Amanda didn't even give Igor the chance to take another breath before she began firing questions, "How did I get here when I was asleep? What're all my friends doing here? Am I gonna somehow be naked in two minutes because this is a dream?" She said, crossing her arms. "I want answers and I want them now!"

Harry rolled his eyes and put his hands to his face. "Amanda. Trust me when I say this, you are NOT dreaming. This is… some kind of cluster mashup thingy of all human minds when they go to sleep. Just sit down, relax, and let Igor explain everything. It'll all make sense if you shut your mouth for all of about two minutes." He said out of frustration, just wanting to be able to dream normally instead of having his mind dragged here every time Igor had to tell them something. "Also Igor, do you think there would be a better way to do this? Instead of when we're all trying to sleep?"

"I was just about to get to that, Mr. Valkryin," Igor said excitedly. "From now on, I will only bring new Persona users here when they sleep, or unless the need to speak with you all is dire. But for when you need to speak to me on your own accord…" Igor said, and rolled out a mat that contained four velvety blue keys. "Please, take them. These keys will be your gateway into the Velvet Room from your world without having to sleep! You can access our help at any time, despite my busy schedule."

"Sweet… But anyway you were saying about those crazy little Shadow buggers?" Leon said as Amanda sat down next to him, each member of the group having already taken a key.

"Ah yes, Shadows. The negative manifestation of the human subconscious, our "true" selves if you will. They come to exist when a human being denies their true wants and desires in life, or pretends that they don't even exist." Said the proprietor of the Velvet Room, leaning back a bit. "The only reason your shadows had not manifested itself is because, as I previously explain to Ms. Malruso and Mr. Valkyrin, your Personas are that same energy given positive energy- You didn't ignore your true selves, and you were rewarded greatly for it."

"I see… So everyone technically can gain a Persona." Oliver said, pondering on Igor's words. "And by the same logic, everyone can generate a Shadow then…"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Mr. Hoffenbruen. For you see, only those with the potential can properly summon a Persona. Sometimes there are those who cannot summon them, yet they stay true to themselves enough so that a Shadow isn't formed from their mind. It's complicated, I understand, but you will understand everything as your journey continues."

"So… what's our first course of action?" Ophelia piped up. "Is there some kind of Persona causing the Shadows around our town that we need to deal with, or some kind of really big Shadow…?"

"Actually, Ms. Malruso, I was just going to say, there is a rather large Shadow that's been messing with the scrap in your town's Junk Yard. I suggest you investigate ASAP, but don't forget your powers are still new- Your Personas will grow and change to rise to any occasion, but just give yourselves time. It's all we ask."

"So we kick ass, take names and have our Peronas get stronger as a result! No big deal." Leon said, kicking his feet up on the other side of the car. "Do we have to sign any medical forms or anything?"

"Actually…" Igor said with a grin, and waved his hand to open the log book. "If you could all just sign here…"

The four remaining Persona users added their signatures to the form, and Igor closed the book. "Very good. Now then, you will all be returning to sleep as per normal. Pleasant dreams…"

Suddenly, the group could see their vision of the Velvet Room darken, and they all returned to a normal sleep… except for Leon, who found himself in a strange field.

A field filled with brightly colored flowers surrounded him, and he sat on a bed with only his boxers on. Laying next to him was an unknown female form, which he thought was either one of his fangirl's, or his crush. He gulped, and attempted to awaken the sleeping figure, but to no avail.

He pondered for a minute what this all meant. Some awesome looking hottie laying in bed, seemingly naked next to him, and nothing was trying to kill him. He then turned the figure over, and lo and behold, Ms. Hexin's arms wrapped around him. However, as she smiled upon waking up, Leon could tell something was wrong- Her teeth were bright, shiny fangs, and her normal red nails has grown into crimson claws. He shivered for a moment, and Amanda spoke to him in an odd voice, "Morning Big-Boy, mind if I have little something for breakfast?" And lunged at Leon's neck.

Before she could sink her fangs into his flesh, he awoke from the dream, covered in sweat. The sun was just rising, and Leon sighed. "…I'd better go find somewhere to shower for school." He said, and searched the hospital for such an area. After convincing the staff to let him do so, he proceeded to use the shower set up in the on-call room of the hospital, and got dressed in the shower as to avoid any… awkward situations with a doctor or nurse. As he threw on his trench coat, he couldn't help but wonder what his dream meant.

He had supposedly just done the deed with a demonic Amanda, who'd then bitten him and supposedly began sapping him of blood like a Spy saps a sentry.

He sat down for a minute to examine the details in his mind. Things started out good, and then they went sour- Huh. That's usually how things went for him… But this was something completely different; this was his emotions being screwed with.

Deciding he'd talk to someone in school about it, he collected his keys from Oliver's room, but not before his intellectually gifted friend awoke. "…Say, Leon… You'll get me my books and everything for homework, won't you?" Oliver asked, looking a little bored since he'd gotten done everything in his Pokemon game.

"Don't worry about it, kid, I'll rip out your whole locker and carry it here if I have to!" Leon said, flexing his muscles and smiling. He put his arms at his side, and sat down next to Oliver. "…Listen man, if ANYTHING goes wrong during the day, if you feel even the slightest ache, you call me, a nurse, your parents-"

"Leon. Shut up. I'll be fine." Oliver said with a forced grin. "Now you go to school, I don't want your ass getting detention because of me." He said, and Leon nodded. "…Do hurry back though, the nurses kinda scare me with how nice they are."

Leon chuckled a bit as he left the hospital, and hopped into his car. With a quick start of the engine and a shift into drive, Leon was ready to face the day!

…Except once he got to school and learned he was needed in the office for some business about beating the crap out of some poor bastard who probably deserved it.

Meanwhile, in first period…

Harry sighed a bit as he noticed Oliver's seat was empty. Leon's was also empty too, which made him wonder if he had skipped class to hang out with their hospitalized companion. Well, he was practically all alone now. He'd sit next to Morgan, but something always struck him as kind of odd. Garrett was out, mostly because he was asleep again.

…So he decided to text during class. Namely, text Ophelia. She shot back relatively quick about how Amanda had skipped school, and Veronica would be in later due to police questioning her and her recovery in the hospital. He sighed, and put his head down on the desk. He continued throughout the rest of algebra without communicating with a single soul, except for the poor bugger who didn't know what he was talking about and needed an answer.

Later on in third period, which would be one of those few precious periods in which the whole group would've been together, Leon, Ophelia, and Harry sat alone for U.S. history. "Well damnit, this places really does blow without Olly and the others." Leon said, shaking his head in distaste. "Makes me kinda wish I was kicked out of this place sometimes."

"L-Leon! Don't say that!" Ophelia said, a little upset with him. "Y-you have a bright future ahead of you, don't throw it away because someone made a childish joke about you!"

"…They said things about my dad again, Ophy. You know I don't let that shit slide." He said as he shut his eyes. "Made up some crap about how I was too much of a little prick and Ramona was… promiscuous so he just… up and left. So I made it so the bastard wouldn't be saying shit for a while. Worse he got was a bruised rib or something."

"Leon, you really are gonna get kicked out of here one day…" Harry said with a sigh. "…Just watch yourself from now on, OK? If you can find an alternative to beating the everloving crap out of someone, please take advantage of it." He pleaded.

"Harry, they're not gonna kick me out, OK? If they do, I'll beat the shit out of whoever tries it." He said, and rolled his eyes. "Plus my dad KNEW the principal. Them kicking me out might incite his divine wrath or some shit." He said, leaning back in his chair. "Besides Harry, I'd still hang around. The other members of Tartarus would gladly back me up on anything."

"Too bad Tartarus sucks." Said one of Leon's fangirl's boyfriends. "Your music sounds like your mom when I-" He began to say, but not before Leon's fist connected with his face.

The teacher, Mr. McCoffney, took notice of sudden movement. "What's going on back there? Granger, are you screwing around with Ms. Malruso again?" He said, adjusting his thick, coke-bottle glasses to try and see this. "Am I gonna have to write you up?"

"No sir! His nose was bleeding and I provided him with a tissue." Leon said as the person who was insulting his band held a cloth to his nasal passage to stop the flow of blood.

One of Leon's bandmates that were in the class, Clyde Thalium, snickered and added his own two cents, "Yeah, the poor bastard been's havin' 'em ever since Ophelia's been wearing tighter clothes. He can't help but use the male gaze."

"…Mr. Thalium, please refrain from sexual comments like that. You and Mr. Crowley seem to have a penchant for having mouths filthier than that of a drunken sailor." Mr. McCoffney said, and continued to teach his lesson on the 1800's.

"See! That's the kind of shit I mean Leon! Suppose someone opened their mouth!" Harry whispered, and punched Leon's arm lightly. "You gotta watch it man!"

"Alright, fine. I'll keep my awesome shenanigans to a low profile until this business with Personas and crap is over." He said, and rolled his eyes. "Still, you gotta wonder why a bunch of small town kids like us were given power like this. Who's to say we don't use our Personas for our own ends?"

"Because, Leon, we're the good guys. We don't do prick crap like that." Harry said. Ophelia quickly interjected, "Besides Leon, I don't think you're capable of really doing anything THAT evil. I-I mean you're a jerk sometimes but you're really not a bad guy…"

"…Wow Ophelia, that's the first time I haven't been able to tell if someone's complimenting me or not. I think they call it an… underhanded compliment or something… God, you're lucky you're a chick or I would've rocked your jaw soooo hard." Leon said with a snicker, cracking his knuckles as he contemplated it.

"You hit Ophelia and we're gonna have problems, Mr. Crowley." Harry said with a chuckle. "I think we'd all know who'd win a fight if it ever happened."

"Yeah, me." Leon said, leaning back in his seat. "We all know I'd just have to crack you once across the face and you'd be done. But I think we'd have enough drama with hospitals, so yeah. Not fightin' ya buddy."

"…Whatever Leon. One day I'll kick you ass." Harry said, and put his head down on the desk to think. So many thoughts rattling the cage of his mind, he hadn't the faintest idea of what to do next. Then, Igor's words of a huge Shadow in the town's Junkyard shook the cage even further. Perhaps killing these "huge Shadows" was the way to restore things to normal… Or stop things from spiraling out of control at least.

"Guys. I know our next course of action." Harry said, after picking his head back up. "We're going to spend the next few days training. Then, once we've gotten this Persona thing down pat, we go after that big mofo in the Junkyard."


End file.
